Malda traffic police and members of the board of administrators of Englishbazar municipality carried out a drive against encroachment on two lanes of NH12 between Rathbari More and 320 More, the town’s busiest thoroughfare, on Friday and Saturday.

Led by Shantinath Panja, the inspector in charge of highway traffic, along with members of the BoA and policemen, the team asked fruits and vegetable vendors, who had raised makeshift stalls that was blocking two lanes of the four-lane highway, to find other places .

In the past two years, both these service lanes of the highway that runs via town have been completely occupied by vendors as fewer vehicles plied during the pandemic-induced lockdown, said Panja.

Chaitali Ghosh Sarkar, vice-chairperson of the BoA in Englishbazar municipality, said they also got requests from residents of Malda town to clear encroachments from these two lanes so that traffic can move smoothly.

Police are also conducting a drive in other congested areas of the town.

Steps include imposition of fines and seizure of e-rickshaws which lack registration and permission to move in the town and issuing alerts to bikers and car owners so that they refrain from parking their vehicles in no parking zones, especially in two side lanes of the highway.

“We will keep a constant vigil on this stretch of the highway and on some other roads of the town to prevent illegal parking and encroachment. Anybody found violating the rules will face appropriate steps,” added Panja.